Facing sentencing: what to prepare
Phone numbers, clothing, belongings and family arrangements to sort before court.
You may not know whether you will go into custody or which prison you will be sent to. Your legal representative can explain the hearing and possible outcomes. Preparing a few practical things can help if custody happens.
Write phone numbers down before court
Do not rely on remembering numbers or being able to open your mobile inside. Prepare a paper list of the people you are permitted to contact, including your legal representative. Check the numbers and include names so they make sense when you are tired or worried.
You don’t want to spend your first short call asking somebody for everyone else’s number. I’d have those written down before going to court. It saves time, credit and another thing going round your head.
Keep the paper safe. Follow any court order or contact restriction; having a number written down does not authorise contact.
Check before packing clothes
Ask your solicitor or the court what belongings can accompany you on sentencing day, including bag and quantity limits. If the receiving prison is known, check its current reception property rules. Bringing an item to court does not guarantee it can be taken on transport or kept in your cell.
Ask about:
- Permitted colours, hooded tops, footwear, logos and clothing quantities.
- What can arrive with you, and what requires a later application.
- What happens to items you cannot keep: storage, return or another process.
- Whether family can hand in or post clothing, and what permission is needed.
I’d rather have checked clothing ready for the day of sentencing than leave everything until I was inside. In my experience, waiting for belongings afterwards could take weeks. Black clothing and hooded tops were things I knew to check before packing.
Arrival property, clothing parcels and visitor dress codes are different. Do not use one list as permission for another. Wandsworth’s published clothing hand-in rules, for example, restrict black, white, navy, camouflage and hoods. Kirkham describes a permission-based parcel route. These are local examples, not a national packing list.
Check personal toiletries and what is supplied
Ask specifically about aftershave, deodorant, toothpaste, liquids, aerosols and containers before buying or packing them. Do not assume your own product will be accepted because an equivalent item is used inside.
My own toiletries could be taken away, but I was given basics: soap, a toothbrush, toothpaste, toilet roll, deodorant and towels, along with prison blankets. Bedding differed between establishments. Some places had duvet covers; at Preston I had prison blankets.
That is a personal account, not a confirmed present-day kit list for every prison. Check the establishment’s provision and tell reception if an essential item is missing or you have an accessibility, allergy or other health-related need.
Do not assume tobacco, cigarettes, lighters or a personal vape can enter. Check the prison’s smoking rules and approved arrangements; ask staff about support if nicotine withdrawal is worrying you.
Medication and health information
Before court, ask your solicitor and healthcare professional how medication and relevant information should accompany you if you enter custody. Have an up-to-date medication list and prescriber details available through the agreed route. Tell reception healthcare what you take, when you last took it and about allergies or urgent needs. Healthcare must assess and confirm treatment; do not assume you can keep or immediately use everything you bring.
Prepare visitor details privately
Write down potential visitors’ full names, dates of birth, full addresses including postcodes, and relationships to you. Ask the prison which details its registration process requires. Missing information can hold things up.
Being registered is separate from having an approved and confirmed visit. Visitors should check the prison’s ID and booking requirements before travelling. Accepted identification can include alternatives to photo ID, and children’s arrangements differ.
Open the blank preparation and contact sheets ↗
Nothing is submitted to Before the Gate. Print blank sheets and fill them in on paper for your own use. Do not email completed sheets to us.
Make arrangements outside
Think about children, anyone depending on you, pets, housing, bills and who should receive updates. Ask the appropriate service or adviser about anything time-sensitive. Explain to family that an initial call is different from having regular phone access.
Do not bring contraband
Do not bring prohibited items, conceal items or carry something for another person. If unsure, check before packing. Security consequences can include closed visits, with family separated by a screen or barrier and no physical contact. Decisions depend on the individual risk and circumstances; it is not an automatic outcome for every item.
The point from experience is the effect on family too: seeing someone through glass is very different from being able to sit together.
What happens after arrival?
Read Your first few days: reception and induction ↗Official information checked 16 October 2026: Prisoners’ Property Policy Framework · Wandsworth hand-in rules · Kirkham parcels · Smoke-free policy · Visitor ID guidance · Security at visits, closed estate (PDF). Personal recollections are labelled separately; current local arrangements must be confirmed.
Before the Gate’s original guidance, shaped by lived experience. Local rules and individual restrictions need checking. This information does not predict a sentence, prison allocation or legal outcome. For urgent concerns, open urgent help.